Smart warehouse, conveyor, and pallet management system

ABSTRACT

A system and computer-implemented method for pallet management and constructing a pallet stack may include generating a virtual pallet stack using virtual packages having sizes and shapes corresponding with known available actual packages. In response to identifying an actual package to be placed on a pallet, an indication may be provided to a worker where the identified actual package is to be placed on the pallet stack based on the location of a corresponding virtual package on the virtual pallet stack.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/786,815, filed Dec. 31, 2018, and entitled “Smart Warehouse,Conveyer, and Pallet Management System,” the disclosure of which ishereby incorporated in its entirety by this reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the real-time identification of itemsin a confined area, or more particularly, to an intelligent system for awarehouse, conveyor, and pallet management logistics.

BACKGROUND

Online shopping has exploded over the past 20 years. Mass consumer goodssales sites of online retailers originally distributed a limitedselection of products. However, as those sites have grown to become massmerchants, the ability to fulfill orders has become a significant issuefor the online retailers. To compete with traditional brick-and-mortarretailers, online retailers have to provide same day delivery or evendelivery within a few hours. Such time constraints places a significantburden on the online retailers for accessing the ordered products andshipping those products to the correct destination within the neededtimeframe without making mistakes in that process. As it appears thatonline shopping will continue to grow for the foreseeable future anddelivery times continue to be reduced, logistics of handling andshipping the products will become a larger challenge. To handle suchexpected product distribution increases, online retailers are developingwarehousing and delivery processes that include the use of bulkcontainers, such as pallets or other shipping structures (e.g.,roll-containers, racks, and so on), to move the products fromwarehouse(s) towards final destinations.

Currently, products that are to fulfill online orders are selected at awarehouse, placed on a conveyer system, and manually carried from theconveyer system to a container (e.g., pallet, roll-container, or otherbulk shipping structure, as understood in the art). For the purposes ofthis disclosure, the term “pallet” refers to any structure for shippingproducts in bulk.

The process of hand-carrying the products from the conveyer system to acontainer that is destined for a destination for the product can be achallenge over time for workers or operators. Human factors often play apart of errors that are made when operators or workers handle thephysical transfer from the conveyer system to a correct containerdestined for a particular geography. Such human factors may include, butare not limited to, long shifts during which the workers are challengedto move quickly in a confined space. Over time, accuracy of physicallymoving the products to the correct container tends to drop, even for thebest operators.

The processes of determining which packages are to be moved to whichpallets may be time consuming or inefficient for workers. The process ofconstructing pallets may be logistically challenging and time intensive.The ability to ensure integrity of packages, such as packages that aredamage that could be biohazardous, has become a significant issue whenhandling products that, if damages, could result in harm to workers.Constructing structurally sound pallets can be a challenge, and poorlyconstructed pallets may be dangerous for workers and goods contained inthe packages. With the speed at which works have to handle the packages,it is not uncommon for workers to misplace foreign objects, such asscissors, knives, tape dispensers, or other tools that are used withinwarehouses. Hence, the inventors have identified a need to address theseand other logistical challenges that are faced within warehouses.

BRIEF SUMMARY

An improvement in logistics when physically moving products fromconveyer (or other) systems to pallets may include the use of anoverhead imaging system that is capable of reading an identifier, suchas a represented by a machine-readable indicia (e.g., barcodes, QRcodes, or other codes) that include or are indicative of a destinationidentifier, product identifier, or otherwise. The overhead imagingsystem may include one or more 2D cameras that may capture images ofpackages that are being moved and/or placed on the pallets. The camerasor processing unit(s) in communication with the cameras may process theimages, read or determine the identifier, and provide guidance and/orother sensory feedback signal (e.g., visual, audible, and/or tactile) toan operator who is moving or has moved a package to a pallet. Thesensory feedback may provide verification for the operators to helpensure that the packages that are moved to pallets are moved from theconveyer system to the correct pallets (i.e., a pallet that is beingshipped to a destination on the way to a final destination of thepackage).

As provided herein, a number of logistical problems are being addressed,including moving packages from the conveyer system to the pallets,associating operators with packages, detecting package integrity,providing pallet construction guidance, detecting foreign objects onpackages, providing light indicators for additional guidance tooperators, supporting conflict resolution between neighboring cells,which may include electronics (e.g., cameras, lighting, processor(s))used to monitor and guide workers and/or packages, at which pallets arebeing constructed, reducing cost of camera monitoring systems, andprovide lighting and camera support that may help with logisticaloperations within a busy warehouse. As provided herein, an intelligencesystem that may be formed of hardware and logical modules to supportoperations within a warehouse that result in more efficient, moreaccurate, and safer operations.

One embodiment of a system and computer-implemented method forconstructing a pallet stack may include generating a virtual palletstack using virtual packages having sizes and shapes corresponding withknown available actual packages. In response to identifying an actualpackage to be placed on a pallet, an indication may be provided to aworker where the identified actual package is to be placed on the palletstack based on the location of a corresponding virtual package on thevirtual pallet stack.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure are described indetail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, which areincorporated by reference herein and wherein:

FIG. 1 is an illustration of an illustrative package processingenvironment, including a conveyer system that moves packages (e.g.,boxes, items, parcels, etc.) for workers or operators to physically movethose packages to a pallet of a number of pallets (other pallets notshown) during a fine sorting process of the packages;

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of an illustrative process for constructing avirtual pallet and building an actual stack of packages on the pallet,which may also be referred to herein as pallet, based on the virtualpallet;

FIG. 3 is an illustration of an individual cell region in which a cellincluding camera(s), lighting, and processor(s) for monitoring andguiding operations at the cell region

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a cell system or cell that supports a cellregion of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an illustration of an environment in which a pair of cells areadjacent to one another;

FIG. 6 is an illustration of an illustrative environment in which anoverhead rail system (e.g., a grid system) may be constructed withcamera and lighting modules that are able to move freely (e.g.,automatically, semi-automatically, or manually) above the warehouse tolocations where activity is occurring (e.g., new pallet stack beingconstructed);

FIG. 7 is an illustration of an illustrative environment inclusive of amatrix of cell regions including three cells and pallets; and

FIG. 8 is an illustration of an illustrative cell structure having acell being supported by a support structure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With regard to FIG. 1, an illustration of an illustrative packageprocessing environment 100, including a conveyer system 102 that movespackages (e.g., boxes, items, parcels, etc.) 104 a-104 n (collectively104) for workers or operators 106 a-106 n (collectively 106) tophysically move those packages 104 to a pallet 108 of a number ofpallets (other pallets not shown) during a fine sorting process of thepackages 104 is shown. Illustrative overhead code readers or cameras 112a-112 d (collectively 112) may be used to improve accuracy of placingthe packages 104 on a correct pallet 108, for example, for furtherdistribution of the packages. It should be understood that the cameras112 shown are for illustration purposes only, and that any configurationof camera may be utilized (e.g., non-domed cameras). Moreover, anynumber of cameras may be utilized to perform the same or equivalentfunction. The overhead cameras 112 may be part of a reading system inwhich barcode reading cameras 112 may be two-dimensional (2D) camerascapable of reading an identifier, such as a machine-readable indicia,such as 1D or 2D codes, due to having sufficient resolution andoptionally machine-readable indicia (e.g., barcode) readingfunctionality.

In an embodiment, a three-dimensional (3D) camera 114 capable ofperforming 3D measurements may be disposed over a pallet 108 to enable atracking system to determine that a change in height of packages on thepallet 108 has occurred so that an identifier on the package 110 a, forexample, may be read. Thereafter, a determination may be made that thepackage 110 a is on the correct pallet 108 for further distribution. Inan embodiment, the cameras 112 may be maintained in an OFF state, and inresponse to the 3D camera determining that a package 110 a has beenadded to the pallet 108, a system may trigger the barcode reader cameras112 to turn to an ON state and/or read an identifier on the package 110a, as further described herein.

The system 100 may be configured with a controller (see FIG. 5, forexample). The controller may be a separate device or one of the cameras112. In the second scenario, if the controller stops working (e.g., dueto an hardware failure), another camera may automatically replace thenon-functioning controller, thereby providing redundancy. The cameras112 may be configured to acquire and decode an image every time atrigger from the controller is received (sent via TCP connection, forexample). The cameras 112 may decode the identifier or ID codes (e.g.,machine-readable indicia) in the image, and send to the controller theinformation of each decoded identifier. The information may be encodeddata and the coordinates, in pixels, of the corners of code bounding boxor other delimiter. Those information, which may include both dataencoded into the identifier and data related to the position of theidentifier inside the image that are the coordinates of the four cornersof the identifier, may be sent to the controller via TCP in JSON format,for example. The controller may be configured to trigger each of theconnected cameras 112, wait for the decoding results, and elaborate thedata.

A visual feedback device 116 may be configured to output real-timeillumination feedback signals 118 a-118 c (collectively 118) havingdifferent colors, such as red, yellow, and green. The visual feedbackdevice 116 may include a steering mirror (not shown) or otherelectromechanical device that may be configured to cause theillumination feedback signals 118 to be illuminated onto the packages110 that were placed on the pallets at the time of placement. In anembodiment, if the placement of the package 110 b is correct, then agreen (good) illumination feedback signal 118 b may be generated; if theplacement of the package 110 c is incorrect, then a red (bad)illumination feedback signal 118 c may be imaged onto the package 110 c;if the placement of the package 110 a is indeterminable due to themachine-readable indicia not facing the cameras 112, being damaged, orotherwise not being readable, then a yellow (indeterminable orinconclusive) illumination feedback signals 118 may be imaged onto thepackage 110 a. The illumination feedback signal 118 may be generated,for example, by a multi-color LED or laser source, and the illuminationfeedback signals 118 may be in the form of a shape (e.g., circle), andmay be projected onto a package or elsewhere visible to the worker 106a. In an embodiment, the illumination feedbacks signal 118 may be also asequence of alphanumeric characters (e.g., made by using an actuatedmirror to move any of the illumination feedback signals 118). Forexample, a projected number may be counts of right/wrong/unknownpackages moved from the conveyor system 102 to pallets associated to aworker 106 a, thereby providing visual feedback for the worker 106 a.The counts may indicate that the worker needs a break. The feedbacksignals 118 may also be indicative of a number of packages that theworker 106 a carried the last time he or she entered the pallet area.For instance, if the worker 106 a sees just a green “2” projected, whilehe has carried three packages, the worker 106 a may be alerted that thethird package has not been seen by the overhead camera system. This ishelpful when a steering mirror is not used and it is not possible toprojects spots onto each single package; it is possible to project justa colored alphanumeric feedback close to the worker 106 a.

In the event that the worker 106 a be presented with a yellow (or othercolor) feedback indicator to indicate that the system is unable to readan identifier, then the worker may simply face identifier on the packagetoward the cameras 112, replace a damaged identifier, or otherwise havea supervisor assist with the situation.

Alternative real-time feedback techniques may be utilized in response todetermining that the package placed on the pallet 108 is correct,incorrect, or inconclusive. For example, an electronic displaypositioned proximate the pallet 108 may display a color. Alternatively,a wearable device, such as a watch, eyewear (e.g., virtual glasses),and/or headset with a visual projection device, may be configured todisplay a color and/or alphanumeric sequence to indicate correctness ofthe placement of the packages 104 on pallets. Other real-time feedbackmechanisms, such as audible (e.g., beeps, voice commands, etc.) and/ortactile (e.g., vibration) may provide for real-time feedback to theworkers 106 using wearable or other devices. Because the overhead sensorsystem may be continuously operating, the workers 106 may simply be ableto move the packages 104 without having to stop and perform barcodescanning, as has to be performed using conventional processes, therebyimproving efficiency of the logistics.

Overhead cameras provide for unobstructively monitoring hand-carriedpackages from the conveyor system 102 to the pallets during a sortingprocess. In an embodiment, the sensor solution may be mounted above eachpallet and continuously scan the designated pallet area for new palletsand new packages 104 being placed upon the pallet 108, for example. Inan embodiment, the cameras 112, 114, and visual feedback device 116 maybe fixedly positioned on or suspended from a ceiling or supportstructure (e.g., ceiling beam). Alternatively, the cameras 112, 114, andvisual feedback device 116 may be positioned on a temporary, portable,and/or dynamically movable structure that is moved above pallets thatare actively being populated with packages 104, thereby potentiallyreducing fixture, system, and operational costs.

As shown, the cameras 112 a and 112 b are positioned at differentheights. The reason for having the cameras at different heights is sothat the fields-of-view (FOVs) of the cameras 112 a and 112 b overlapand depths-of-field (DOF) of the cameras 112 a and 112 b can bedifferent, thereby providing for different resolution and coverage formonitoring the workers 106 independent of the packages 110, packages 110being placed on the pallets 108, the pallets 108 themselves, workers 106carrying packages 110, and any other people or objects that the 2Dcameras can be used to monitor in the confined work area within thefields-of-view and depths-of-field of the cameras 112 a and 112 b. Itshould be understood that more than two cameras may have overlappingfields-of-view (e.g., all four cameras 112 may have overlapping FoVs).In an embodiment, the cameras 112 may having different FoVs anddifferent depths-of-field (e.g., two have the same depths-of-field andtwo have different depths-of-field), thereby providing for differentreading abilities. The FoVs may be overlapping in an embodiment so thatthe packages 110 may be tracked more easily as they pass through thedifferent FoVs of the cameras 112. The cameras 112 c and 112 d may beused for the same purposes as the cameras 112 a and 112 b, and mayprovide for redundancy.

At longer reading distances (i.e., lower code heights), a single codereader is able to cover the whole pallet area, so the reading redundancyis much higher in the middle height range, where the reading volumes ofthe four cameras 202 are maximally overlapped. For example, the cameras112 may be used to monitor multiple workers 106 and multiple packages110 at the same time. The cameras 112 may have the same or differentresolution, such as 2 megapixel cameras.

Although four cameras 112 are shown in FIG. 1, it should be understoodthat as many cameras as desired may be utilized or needed depending on aconfiguration of a working area in which packages 104 are beingdelivered to be placed on pallets 108. Furthermore, although the cameras112 are shown to be limited to be over the pallets 108, it should beunderstood that additional cameras may be disposed over other pathwaysbetween the conveyor system 102 and pallets 108, and may be utilized totrack the workers 106 and packages 104 being carried thereby to beplaced on the pallets 108. Such worker tracking may be used to monitorefficiency, provide for corrective guidance should the worker be takinga package to an incorrect pallet, or otherwise. In an embodiment, eachof the workers 106 may have an operator identifier that may be read bythe cameras 112. The identifiers may be in any format, and be machinereadable. The identifiers may be in visible or non-visible inks (if thecameras are capable of reading non-visible inks, for example). RFID tagsmay also be possible as identifiers such that RFID sensors (not shown)are able to track the workers 106. In one embodiment, the cameras 112may be compatible with power-over-Ethernet (PoE) 802.3at Type 2, and becompatible with a OC to +60 C operating temperature range. The cameras112 may further be sealed to IP65 and IP67 ratings.

In an alternative embodiment, rather than using more cameras, a singlecamera with high resolution (e.g., 12 megapixels) with a visionprocessor may be utilized. One downside to using fewer cameras is thatit is possible for packages to block direct line-of-sight to otherpackages.

In addition to the real-time feedback being helpful to significantlyreduce placement errors, data associated with the real-time feedback mayadditionally be helpful in monitoring processes, efficiency, alertness,and other statistically useful information for the workers, management,engineers, and/or others. Moreover, alerts may be established to createan alert-type notification in the event that regular or certain types ofpackages (e.g., mature, hazardous, etc.) are delivered to the wronglocation, are dropped, are poorly placed on the pallet, are placed tooclose to other packages that could be potentially problematic (e.g.,chemicals place too close to one another), and so on. The alerts maycause the visual feedback device 116 to generate a differentillumination color (e.g., blue), generate a flashing illumination (e.g.,flashing red), generate a writing (e.g., write a warning or hazardsymbol and/or alphanumeric characters), generate an audio alert signal,and/or generate an alert tactile signal (e.g., different vibration). Asanother example, if too many packages are being placed together (e.g.,more than 100 packages on a single pallet) or the packages are beingplaced too high on the pallet (e.g., greater than 6 or 8 feet), then awarning or alert signal may be generated.

In an embodiment, one or more of the cameras 112 may have an ambientlight sensor that is capable of sensing ambient light in the workspacein which the pallets are located. Based on the amount of ambient light,if the light is too low, then additional lighting may be produced by anexternal illuminator, such as overhead or directed lighting 120 so thatthe cameras are capable of reading (e.g., using image processing, suchas optical character recognition or barcode reading algorithms, or anyother machine vision processing) identifiers (e.g., text, barcodes, QRcodes, markings, shapes, etc.) on the packages 104 as the packages 104are being moved through the work area to the pallets 108. As analternative, a light sensor output can be used to tune/optimize camerasoftware parameters, such as image sensor exposure time or gain toenable the cameras 112 to operate in lower ambient lighting conditions.In an embodiment, ambient light threshold may be set at 350 lux (lumensper square meter). Depending on the configuration of the cameras 112, noadditional illumination is needed when the ambient light is above theambient light thresholds, and additional illumination may be appliedwhen the ambient light is below the ambient light threshold. In anembodiment, the ambient light may be supplemented with an illuminatorthat is acceptable to workers (e.g., light that is not continuouslyincreased and decreased, but rather is imperceptible or mildlyperceptible). In an embodiment, different color light may be utilizedthat does not negatively impact a worker, such as a soft blue light.

The conveyer system 102 is shown to include a pair of cameras 122 a and122 b (collectively 122) to capture images of the new packages 104 asthe packages 104 are being carried on the conveyer system 102. It shouldbe understood that other cameras 122 are illustrative and that a widerange of cameras and camera angles may be utilized to captureidentifier(s) disposed on the packages 104. The cameras or imagers 122may include the ability to capture machine-readable identifiers disposedon any surface of the packages 104. In addition, the cameras may beconfigured to perform image identification, such as identifying thepackages 104 based on other indicia, such as printed images, disposed onthe packages, shapes of the packages, or otherwise.

As previously described the camera position is not limited to overheadonly. In certain warehouse areas, for example, additional cameras may bepositioned around the conveyor system 102, including bottom and/or sidecameras. The multi-side reading may also increase operator efficiency asa need to turn packages to having the machine-readable indicia may bereduced or eliminated. In an embodiment, a camera tunnel including tenor more cameras may be utilized to ensure that a machine-readableindicia of each package is read, and speed of movement of the conveyersystem 102 may be increased as a result of having sufficient cameracoverage.

On the conveyor side of the conveyer system, close to the bottom-readingcameras, NFC readers able to identify operators wearing NFC tags may beutilized. In this way, the worker may be associated with the picked andscanned package more easily. That is, the workers 106 may wear NFC tags,and when a worker picks up one of the packages 104, the system mayassociate the individual worker with the package that he or she picksup.

Managing Operators and Packages

Once the cameras 122 have identified the packages 104 along the conveyersystem 102, a management system (not shown) may perform one or more ofthe following:

(i) Instruct the workers 106 to take certain actions with the packages104 while on the conveyor system 102, including but not limited to, anorder in which packages 104 are to be removed from the conveyor system102, instruct the operators where to take the packages 104, which palletto use, etc.

(ii) Associate operators with respective packages 104. As the workers106 move around the floor to pick up and move the packages 104 and placethem on the pallets 108, the overhead camera(s) 122 may be configured totrack movement of workers 106 with the packages 104 and associate thetwo with each other to further assist in the process of monitoringlocation of the packages 104 to help ensure each arrives at thedesignated pallet. Knowing which of the workers 106 has which of thepackage 104 may help direct instructions and/or notifications directlyto the worker so as to provide efficiencies (e.g., via smart glasses orto a display screen that highlights that worker's name to get his or herattention as to where he or she should take the package (e.g., deliverto a particular pallet) or what he or she should do with that package(e.g., bring to a disposal area).

The location/identity of the worker may be determined based on a varietyof different techniques, including (i) an RF beacon to a device carriedby each of the workers 106, (ii) triangulation, (iii) facial or otherbiometric recognition, (iv) indicia on a uniform or hat of the worker,(v) thermal camera that tracks workers 106, etc. Moreover, a 3D cameramay be used to distinguish between the packages 104 and workers 106.Data representative of each of the workers 106 associated with thepackages 104 may be used to provide logistic intelligence so thatend-to-end knowledge of the packages 104 and who had contact therewithmay be available. Moreover, real-time knowledge of location and step inthe logistics process may also be available.

Detecting Package Integrity

Because it is possible for products in the packages 104 to becomedamaged as a result of falling, being incorrectly rotated, beingover-accelerated, being placed under a heavy object (e.g., one or moreother packages), the ability to identify situations that caused or maycause a package to be damaged or otherwise lose integrity may helpworkers 106 to better protect any package that could be compromised. Inthe event of a package and contents thereof lose integrity, it ispossible for the package to smoke and/or catch fire as a result ofhazardous materials, batteries, or otherwise becoming damaged.

To help with such a compromising situation, the camera system 112 and/orcomputing system in communication therewith may be configured toidentify damaged packages and provide instructions to the workers 106 toinspect the packages. The camera system may be configured to use machinevision to detect smoke, identify unusual heat (e.g., using an IRsensor), fast downward vertical motion, or any other motion or situationthat is possible to identify using the camera system 112, sensors, orotherwise.

In the event of identifying a situation that is actual damage of thepackage or could have resulted to cause damage to the contents thereof,the instructions may vary depending on the extent of the damageidentified as well as the known contents of the package. Examples mayinclude inspection, repackaging, continue, stop, etc. In an embodiment,in the event of detecting smoke or flame, the message may be broadcastto each of the workers 106 who are local to the package, within acertain area of a facility, or throughout the entire facility dependingon the nature of the contents of the package and/or situation determined(e.g., fire may be broadcast to all workers 106 in the facility, whereassmoke may be broadcast to workers within a local area of the packageidentified as potentially being compromised).

Virtual Pallet Construction

Creating pallets can be somewhat challenging depending on the sizes andshapes of the packages that may be available at any given time. Becausepallet construction is to be performed carefully, workers 106 who areresponsible for constructing the pallets often face challenges when highvolume situations occur. To assist the workers 106 with palletconstruction, information from the conveyer system 102 may be integratedwith logistics information being managed and provided to the workers 106by constructing a virtual pallet, as described with regard to FIG. 2.

With regard to FIG. 2, a flow diagram of an illustrative process 200 forconstructing a virtual pallet and building an actual stack of packageson the pallet, which may also be referred to herein as pallet, based onthe virtual pallet is shown. The process may start at step 202, where avirtual pallet may be generated from known available packages. Thevirtual pallet may be created by software being executed by a processorof a computer system that is local to or remote from the pallet to becreated based on the packages that are imaged by cameras at the conveyorsystem or elsewhere (e.g., being carried by a worker). In an embodiment,the cameras may read a machine-readable indicia of one or more packagesto be placed on a pallet, determine a size of each package associatedwith the respective machine-readable indicia (e.g., stored on adatabase), and use that sizing information to construct a virtualpallet. In constructing the virtual pallet, in addition to the sizinginformation, weight, content, density, or other information may beutilized, as well according to rules applied to the construction of thepallet and organization of the packages. In constructing the virtualpallet, the software may be configured to create a virtual box or volumewith virtual packages representative of actual packages currentlyavailable on the conveyor or having recently been removed from theconveyor, but not yet added to the pallet.

In an embodiment, the cameras may be used to measure size of thepackages in real-time, and virtual packages that match the measuredpackages may be created and automatically assembled using a palletstacking optimization system. In addition to measuring size, weight mayalso be measured by a scale on the conveyer system or under a floor onwhich a worker may stand or walk that offsets the weight of the workerto determine package weight. Density may also be automatically measuredby using X-ray, ultrasound, or other non-invasive sensor to determinehow much space within a box of a package at the top and/or sides exist,contents of the package, or otherwise so that density may be used as afactor in constructing a virtual pallet stack.

At step 204, indications may be provided to operators to assist inconstructing a physical pallet stack with the available packages basedon the virtual pallet. The indications may be for guiding the operatorto select the next package to be placed on the pallet and/or forinforming the operator where or how to place a package. The indicationsmay include the use of augmented reality (e.g., smart glasses or mobileapp), visual indicators (e.g., lights or other projections), audibleinstructions (e.g., generated voice that states, “place box in the topright corner,” “place box next to box number 2”), visual instructions inthe form of text and/or graphics displayed on an electronic display thatis positioned at the pallet, conveyer, or elsewhere, tones (e.g., GeigerCounter sounds that may be given to a worker via a headset orotherwise). In an embodiment, vibration or other tactile communicationmay be provided to a worker by causing a network connected mobile device(e.g., mobile computer, smart phone, smart watch, wearable device, etc.)to vibrate to get the attention of the worker when a problem occurs. Inproviding guidance to the workers, the guidance may be automaticallydetermined and generated based on a virtual pallet stack that isautomatically, semi-automatically, or manually created using theavailable packages and/or packages known to be soon available forinclusion in a pallet stack. It should be understood that indicators maybe given in graphical form and/or human-readable form. For example,lights that include written characters, words, symbols, colors, and/orotherwise may be presented to the workers via light indicators fromlights fixedly or temporarily positioned at a pallet or elsewhere toprovide additional guidance information to help the workers avoidplacing the packages at the wrong pallet or help ensure that the workersplace the packages in the desired location. Other communications may begiven to a worker as further described in co-pending provisional patentapplication having Ser. No. 62/666,526 filed on May 3, 2018, thecontents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentirety.

At step 206, the process 200 may determine whether a package is properlyplaced in the stack on the pallet. In an embodiment, the system may usecameras or other sensing devices may determine that a package is missingfrom a virtual pallet, and guide the operator to find a next package forcreating the actual pallet stack. For example, an indication may beprovided (e.g., audible instruction, light projected on the package,augmented reality instruction, etc.) to inform the operator whichpackage should be loaded next onto the pallet. If a user picks up anincorrect package, the system may recognize the incorrect package hasbeen picked up (e.g., via computer vision of package location ordimensions, via barcode decoding, etc.) and inform the user of themistake even prior to placement on the pallet stack. In an embodiment,the system may also identify that a package that was to be positioned onan actual pallet stack was not placed in a correct location or notplaced timely at the correct location, and generate a notification to aworker who was handling or supposed to be handling the package, if suchworker-package association knowledge is available. These operations maybe performed on a real-time basis.

As discussed above, the system may also know what specific packages areplaced on the pallet, as well as which packages from the virtual pallethave not yet been placed on the physical pallet stack. The system maymake real-time determinations to reconfigure a pallet that is notstacked correctly. In an embodiment, if a determination is made that thepallet is incorrectly stacked, then a determination may be made as towhether mis-stacked package has to be repositioned or not (e.g., if thestack is within a particular tolerance of the original virtual design).For example, the system may recalculate the virtual pallet using thearrangement of packages currently known to be placed on the pallet alongwith the remaining packages yet to be placed on the pallet to arrive atan updated virtual pallet. If the system is able to create an updatedvirtual pallet that satisfies the acceptable predefined rules for palletstacking, then the operator may be permitted to continue to stack thepallet without needing to correct the package placement that did notfollow the prior instruction for the original virtual pallet. In someembodiments, the system may simply update the virtual pallet and proceedto guide/instruct the operator according to the updated virtual pallet.In some embodiments, the operator may be informed that an updatedvirtual pallet was created whereas in other embodiments, the system maysimply make the appropriate changes without informing the operator aslong as operator is not being required to make any corrections. This mayprovide the benefit of keeping the process moving without unnecessarydelays as long as the finished stacked pallet meets the minimumthreshold for the rules predefined for a pallet stack.

If a mis-stacked pallet does cause problems in recalculating an updatedvirtual pallet such that a minimum threshold for rules cannot besatisfied (e.g., bad weight distribution, dimension problems, notcreating “T's” in the stacking based on knowing the dimensions and theplacement of boxes below, etc.) then an alert or notification may begenerated to force the workers to reconfigure the pallet in the correctway. The alert or notification may use any form of visual, audible,and/or tactile communication to the workers, as previously described.

The system may be configured to provide feedback (e.g., training,coaching, etc.) to assist the operator in the future even if a palletdoes not need to be rebuilt. Feedback may include generating a reportwith suggestions for better technique in building the pallet based onanalyzing the stacking approach taken by the operator compared with theoptimized virtual pallet created by the system. In an embodiment, if thestack is built in a different way than determined by the virtual stackbuilder, then the system may determine whether the stack built by theworkers was better (e.g., more efficient, shorter, better weightdistribution, lower center of gravity, more centered center of gravity,or other metric), and use a learning system to further improve upon thevirtual pallet stack building process.

If the verification at step 206 is that the package was placed in thecorrect location, then the process 200 may continue at step 208, where adetermination may be made as to whether the stack is complete. If so,then the process may end at step 210. However, if it is determined thatthe stack is not complete, then the process may return to step 204,where the workers continue building the stack and the system may providemonitoring, guidance, and/or feedback to the workers during the processof constructing the pallet stack.

Otherwise, if a determination at step 206 is made that the package wasnot properly placed, then the system may provide feedback to the workerto correct the positioning of the package that was placed on the palletstack, and the process may continue at step 212, where a determinationmay be made as to whether the worker corrected the error of the packageplacement. If the operator makes the correction, then the process maycontinue at step 208, where the determination as to whether the stack iscomplete is made. Otherwise, if the worker did not make the correction,then the process may continue to step 214, where the virtual pallet maybe recalculated, as previously described. At step 216, a determinationmay be made as to whether the error was critical by determining whetherany physical parameters that are or will result from the error willresult in an unstable stack, package that will be crushed immediately orover time, contents of the package (or other packages) that could bedamaged based on the positioning of the package, and so on. If nocritical error was made, then the process may return to step 204.Otherwise, a notification or alert may be given to the workers (or aforeman) at step 218 and reconstruction of the stack may be performed,as previously described.

Foreign Object Detection

In addition to performing stack construction monitoring, the camerasystem may also be configured to detect foreign objects located on ornear the pallet, such as scissors, knives, tape, etc. The foreignobjects may be highlighted on a display screen or otherwise by theindicator system as described herein. In an embodiment, a light may beaimed at the foreign object and/or an audible notification may be issuedlocally at the pallet.

Conflict Resolution (Inter-Cell Overlap and Intra-Cell Overlap)

With regard to FIG. 3, an illustration of an individual cell region 300in which a cell including camera(s), lighting, and processor(s) formonitoring and guiding operations at the cell region is shown. Theregion cell 300 may include a virtual entry zone 302 surrounding apallet 304 on which a pallet stack of packages (not shown) is beingconstructed. Two zones 306 and 308 are shown, where the first zone 306is a region in which a positive indication is provided to workers whoare delivering packages to the pallet 304, and the second zone 308 is aregion in which a negative indication is provided to workers who aredelivering packages to the pallet. It should be understood that thefirst and second zones 306 and 308 may be extended completely around thepallet 304 if workers are able to access the pallet 304 from anydirection. The positive indication may be a green light or positiveaudible or other notification, and the negative indication may be a redlight or negative audible or other notification, as further providedherein. As is further described herein with regard to FIG. 5, a conflictresolution may be communicated between neighboring cells that areclosely located and/or for cameras within the cell itself where overlapmay occur to view the package.

Light Indicators—Illumination

Light indicators, such as red and green colored lights, may be shown atdifferent points at the pallet to account for motion of operator. Duringthe process 200, for example, green may be shown at the first locationas the operator enters a pallet area responsive to a successful decodeand/or tracking of a worker to confirm that the worker and/or package isat the correct pallet location. A red color may be projected at a secondlocation further into the pallet area. The recognition of anunsuccessful decode or determination that the pallet location isincorrect may take longer than the proper location. Thus, it may behelpful to have the red light be directed further into the palletlocation where the person may be walking and more likely to not missthat indication. And, by projecting the red light farther into thepallet area, the system accommodates for inadvertent movements of theworker.

In a broader warehouse application, similar angled lights could be usedat various checkpoints. Multicolor lights could be used with sensorsdetermining the direction of motion of the operator to match red/greenin either direction depending on the motion of the operator.

Light indicators may display multiple variations to pass moreinformation to the operator. For example, color plus a specific patternof flashing light may indicate instructions to the operator.

Light indicators may also be configured to direct the operator to thecorrect pallet. For example, the when the package is picked up at theconveyor, the package may be identified and the light indicators may beused to direct the operator to the correct pallet for that particularpackage. In one embodiment, each individual operator may have a specificlight indication associated with him/her. As one example, person 1 maybe assigned blue, person 2 may be assigned orange, person 3 may beassigned purple, and so on. When that operator picks up a package, theoperator and the package may be associated with each other and thecorrect pallet for that package may be lit up with the color (or otherindicator) associated with that particular operator to inform theoperator where the correct pallet is located for that package. At theindividual pallet level, the package placement at the pallet may againbe checked for accuracy with feedback provided using lighted indicators(or other indicators), as desired. In an embodiment, a light or sequenceof lights illuminated onto a pathway from the conveyer system to thecorrect pallet may be used to provide guidance to the worker. In oneembodiment, such a path lighting feature may be used for workers who arejust starting and are unfamiliar with the locations of the differentpallets, thereby reducing or eliminating new hire learning curve.

With regard to FIG. 4, a block diagram of a cell system or cell 400 thatsupports a cell region 300 of FIG. 3 is shown. The system may include aprocessor 402 of a computing system that is in communication with amemory 404 for storing images, virtual pallet stacks, locations ofpallets, information associated with packages, software, and any otherinformation that is useful to managing and tracking packages within adistribution center or other facility. The cell system 400 may includeone or more 2-dimensional (2D) camera 406, 3-dimensional (3D) camera408, and one or more other sensors 410. The system 400 may be used for asingle or multiple cells.

With regard to FIG. 5, an illustration of an environment 500 in which apair of cells 502 a and 502 b (collectively 502) are adjacent to oneanother is shown. At each of the cells 502 are respective pallets 504 aand 504 b (collectively 504). Coordination between the cells 502 is notlimited to just during times of movement along a grid of cells (i.e.,when different pallets are being constructed within different cells in agrid of cell regions over time). Processors or other devices operatingwithin neighboring cells may communicate with each other during palletstacking at one or both of the cells 502. For example, if the pallets504 are located closely together with a narrow passage therebetween, thefields-of-view 506 a and 506 b of the cameras (e.g., 2D and/or 3D) mayat least partially overlap in an overlapping region 508 such thatcameras and/or processors of both cells detect packages or other objectsthat are at the cells 502. For the purposes of this disclosure,association of processors between or amongst multiple cells is notnecessarily one-to-one. For example, a processor may be configured tohandle a set of several cells, or even all cells in an environment (see,for example, FIG. 7). Inter-cell communication may be a logicalconnection in software being executed by the processor(s) of the cells,such that a physical communication path between different processors isunnecessary.

To avoid confusion of multiple indicators being activated fromneighboring cells to the same object, the processors of the cells 502may communicate with each other (i.e., inter-cell communication) todetermine a primary cell responsible for tracking the detected object.The determination may be based on proximity (e.g., which camera has thehigher % of the object in its field-of-view 506 a or 506 b), informationfrom the code scan, contents, direction of travel of the detectedobject, etc. Once it is determined which cell is selected to be theprimary cell, the other cell may effectively ignore the object in itsfield-of-view 506 a or 506 b unless the operator changes course andanother determination is to be performed.

Alternatively, the illumination system may be configured to givepriority to positive indications over negative indications. For example,in the inter-cell overlap scenario shown in FIG. 5, the system may beconfigured to suppress a negative indication (e.g., red light) from the“wrong pallet” and enable the “correct pallet” to provide the positiveindication (e.g., green light). This negative indication suppression mayreduce the amount of simultaneous indications and make it easier for theuser to understand where the package should go and reduce negativeemotions of workers.

Moreover, the processor within each cell may be configured to resolveconflicts between cameras within a single cell. For example, in theevent that an operator enters a pallet area diagonally (e.g., at acorner of the cell) as opposed to along a side, there may be substantialoverlap in the fields-of-view of cameras on multiple sides such thatcameras detect different part of the package and/or worker. One cameramay view a barcode for decoding purposes, whereas another camera mayhave a majority of the package within its field-of-view. Thus, thecamera from one side may be used to decode the barcode, whereas thelight indicator of another side may show the result.

Using 3D Camera to Adjust Focus of Code Reading Cameras

A number of code reading devices may be reduced to cover a desired areaif the output provided by a less expensive (or larger FOV/DOF) device isused as opposed to more expensive (or smaller FOV/DOF) devices.

At a single pallet, the 3D camera may be used to drive an adjustablefocus code reading camera. The 3D camera information may detect thepresence of a package and an associated depth, which may cause the codereading camera to adjust its focus to a corresponding depth to providean accurate reading for smaller codes physically located farther awayfrom the camera unit. As a result, the number of code reading camerasfixed at multiple depths-of-focus may be reduced.

At a warehouse level, an output of a 3D camera (or low-resolution 2Dcamera) may be detect regions-of-interest (e.g., presence of a personwalking) to determine where to point and focus a movable or steerablehigher resolution camera.

Hardware Environment

One or more overhead camera/lighting modules, such as in 62/666,526, maybe distributed at locations throughout a warehouse. These may bestrategically located along conveyor paths and pallet loading locations.

With regard to FIG. 6, an illustration of an illustrative environment600 in which an overhead rail system (e.g., a grid system) may beconstructed with camera and lighting modules 602 a and 602 b(collectively 602) that are able to move freely (e.g., automatically,semi-automatically, or manually) above the warehouse to locations whereactivity is occurring (e.g., new pallet stack being constructed) isshown. It should be understood that more than two camera/lightingmodules may be used for each cell including a pallet 604. The modules602 may communicate with each other and/or be controlled by a trafficcontrol unit to avoid collisions while moving. The camera/lightingmodules 602 may be able to track operator and/or package movement to beused in multiple locations to reduce the number of fixed systems thatneed to be installed—especially useful where full capacity of thewarehouse is rarely utilized. Instead of self-contained modules 602,individual subcomponents may move freely and independently above anoverhead rail system to create a “module on the fly.” That is, anindividual camera may be moved independent of lighting or lights usedfor indications, as previously described. As shown, camera 602 a may becapable of capturing images and/or moving within a region 606 a andcamera 602 b may be capable of capturing images and/or moving within aregion 606 b. as a package 608 moves towards the pallet 604, the packagemoves through a conflict region 610, which may cause an intra-cellcommunication 612 between the camera modules 602 to perform conflictresolution, as previously described. Alternatively, a processor (notshown) being used to control monitoring and guidance at the cell may beused to resolve the conflict when the package 608 is within the conflictregion 610 so that one of the camera modules 602 monitors and provideillumination guidance to the worker carrying the package 608, aspreviously described.

With regard to FIG. 7, an illustration of an illustrative environment700 inclusive of a matrix of cell regions 702 a-702 n (collectively 702)including three cells 704 a-704 c (collectively 704) and pallets 706a-706 n (collectively 706) is shown. The cells 704 may include modules(or certain individual components) that may be configured to controllocation of each of the cells 704. The cells may includeelectromechanical devices that allows for movement of the cells 704 todifferent cell regions 702. As shown cell 704 a may move from cellregion 702 a to cell region 702 g, cell 704 b may move from cell region702 d to cell region 702 h, and cell 704 c may move from cell region 702n to cell region 702 e. The movements may occur as the pallets 706 arebeing constructed, which may be based on a set schedule or non-setschedule. The movements may be performed automatically (e.g., inresponse to one pallet stack being completed and another identified tobe starting to be stacked), semi-automatically (e.g., in response to auser commanding the cell to move), or manually (e.g., human moving thecell from one cell region to another).

With regard to FIG. 8, an illustration of an illustrative cell structure800 having a cell 802 being supported by a support structure 804 isshown. The support structure may enable support mechanisms 806 a and 806b (collectively 806) to connect thereto or be supported thereby. In anembodiment, the support mechanisms may include wheels, tracks, and/orother trolley mechanism that enables the cell 802 to be moved from onecell region to another, as shown in FIG. 7. In addition, the supportmechanisms 806 a and 806 b may include hoists, pulleys, or other dynamicmechanism that allows for control of height of the cell 802, so as to belowered from a ceiling support structure 804 to a first height h2 whenthe lower levels of the pallet are being stacked and then being raisedto a second height h1 as the pallet stack grows. Adjusting height of thecell 802 may provide better resolution at the lower levels of the palletstack, which can then be raised to accommodate the growing pallet orother equipment (e.g., trolley). Positioning the height of the modulemay be responsive to manual user input and/or automatically based on thedetected environment or pallet characteristics.

Angled lights for showing green or red so that red light is projectedahead of the direction of motion of the operator. Alternatively, lightsare not angled, but offset at different locations along the axis ofmotion of the worker.

In an embodiment, a thermal camera may be configured to help distinguishworkers from packages such as by combining image data of the thermalcamera with image data from a 3D camera may help track operatorsthroughout a warehouse and differentiate from packages that are pickedup and carried from the conveyor system to a pallet as well as within apallet cell.

For hardware of overhead or side-reading cameras, it would be veryhelpful to have dynamically zoomable lenses. The camera viewing-anglemay be auto-toggling or adjusted based on information provided by 3Dcameras or other sensors. The dynamically zoomable cameras may providecost savings. For example, the use of dynamically zoomable lenses for apackage/pallet reading-system, four cameras may be used instead ofeight, probably with image-sensor resolution lower than 9MPix, therebysaving the cost of four cameras and associated mounting hardware, setuptime, maintenance, cabling, communications, power usage, bandwidth,memory capacity, processing power, and so on.

The foregoing method descriptions and the process flow diagrams areprovided merely as illustrative examples and are not intended to requireor imply that the steps of the various embodiments must be performed inthe order presented. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art,the steps in the foregoing embodiments may be performed in any order.Words such as “then,” “next,” etc. are not intended to limit the orderof the steps; these words are simply used to guide the reader throughthe description of the methods. Although process flow diagrams maydescribe the operations as a sequential process, many of the operationsmay be performed in parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order ofthe operations may be re-arranged. A process may correspond to a method,a function, a procedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, etc. When a processcorresponds to a function, its termination may correspond to a return ofthe function to the calling function or the main function.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, andalgorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosedhere may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, orcombinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability ofhardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules,circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms oftheir functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented ashardware or software depends upon the particular application and designconstraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans mayimplement the described functionality in varying ways for eachparticular application, but such implementation decisions should not beinterpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the presentdisclosure.

Embodiments implemented in computer software may be implemented insoftware, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware descriptionlanguages, or any combination thereof. A code segment ormachine-executable instructions may represent a procedure, a function, asubprogram, a program, a routine, a subroutine, a module, a softwarepackage, a class, or any combination of instructions, data structures,or program statements. A code segment may be coupled to and/or incommunication with another code segment or a hardware circuit by passingand/or receiving information, data, arguments, parameters, or memorycontents. Information, arguments, parameters, data, etc. may be passed,forwarded, or transmitted via any suitable means including memorysharing, message passing, token passing, network transmission, etc.

The actual software code or specialized control hardware used toimplement these systems and methods is not limiting of the disclosure.Thus, the operation and behavior of the systems and methods weredescribed without reference to the specific software code beingunderstood that software and control hardware can be designed toimplement the systems and methods based on the description here.

When implemented in software, the functions may be stored as one or moreinstructions or code on a non-transitory computer-readable orprocessor-readable storage medium. The steps of a method or algorithmdisclosed here may be embodied in a processor-executable software modulewhich may reside on a computer-readable or processor-readable storagemedium. A non-transitory computer-readable or processor-readable mediaincludes both computer storage media and tangible storage media thatfacilitate transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Anon-transitory processor-readable storage media may be any availablemedia that may be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and notlimitation, such non-transitory processor-readable media may compriseRAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic diskstorage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other tangible storagemedium that may be used to store desired program code in the form ofinstructions or data structures and that may be accessed by a computeror processor. Disk and disc, as used here, include compact disc (CD),laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, andBlu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, whilediscs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the aboveshould also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.Additionally, the operations of a method or algorithm may reside as oneor any combination or set of codes and/or instructions on anon-transitory processor-readable medium and/or computer-readablemedium, which may be incorporated into a computer program product.

The previous description is of various preferred embodiments forimplementing the disclosure, and the scope of the invention should notnecessarily be limited by this description. The scope of the presentinvention is instead defined by the claims.

What is claimed:
 1. A computer-implemented method for constructing apallet stack, comprising: generating a virtual pallet stack usingvirtual packages having sizes and shapes corresponding with knownavailable actual packages; and in response to identifying an actualpackage to be placed on a pallet, providing an indication to a workerwhere the identified actual package is to be placed on the pallet stackbased on the location of a corresponding virtual package on the virtualpallet stack.
 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein providing anindication includes illuminating a location on the pallet stack with alight beam.
 3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:sensing an actual location that the worker placed the actual package onthe pallet stack; and in response to determining that the actuallocation was incorrect, generating a feedback signal indicative of theactual package being placed in an incorrect location, otherwise, eithernot generating the feedback signal or generating a feedback signalindicative of the actual package being placed in the correct location onthe pallet stack.
 4. The method according to claim 3, furthercomprising: in response to determining that the actual package wasplaced in an incorrect location on the pallet stack, determining whetherthe worker corrected the placement location of the actual package on thepallet stack; and in response to determining that the worker did notcorrect the location of the actual package, determining whether thelocation of the actual package on the pallet stack does not meet aminimum requirement for predefined rules of the system; if adetermination is made that the location of the placement of the actualpackage on the pallets stack does not meet the minimum requirement, thencommunicating another notification to the worker to correct the locationof the actual package on the pallet stack, otherwise, not communicatinganother notification to the worker.
 5. The method according to claim 4,further comprising, in response to determining that the pallets thatdoes meet the minimum requirement: generating an updated virtual palletstack with a corresponding virtual package of the incorrectly placedactual package placed in a corresponding location on the virtual palletstack; and using the updated virtual pallet stack for future guidance inconstructing the pallet stack.
 6. The method according to claim 1,further comprising moving a cell including lights and cameras from afirst cell region to a second cell region at which a first pallet stackand a second pallet stack are being successively constructed.
 7. Themethod according to claim 6, further comprising adjusting height of thecell as a function of a height of the pallet stack increasing.
 8. Themethod according to claim 1, further comprising: generating a firstnotification signal for the worker at a first distance from a secondpallet stack, the first notification signal be indicative of the actualpackage being delivered to the second pallet stack being correct; andgenerating a second notification signal for the worker at a seconddistance that is closer to the second pallet stack then the firstdistance, the second notification signal being indicative that thesecond pallet stack is incorrect for the actual package to be placed. 9.The method according to claim 1, further comprising in response to (i) afirst cell used to monitor packages been delivered to the pallet stackdetermining that the actual package is in a field-of-view of a firstcamera, and (ii) a second cell used to monitor packages being deliveredto the another pallet stack determining that the actual package is in afield-of-view of a second camera, communicating a signal between aprocessor of the first cell and a processor of the second cell tocoordinate which of the cells is to provide feedback to the worker. 10.The method according to claim 9, wherein the communication includes acommand for a processor of the first or second cell at which the actualpackage is supposed to be delivered based on the pallet stack for theactual package to be placed.
 11. A pallet management system, comprising:a first cell including a camera system configured to monitor andidentify packages within its field of view and provide feedback to anoperator for stacking packages on a pallet; a second cell including acamera system configured to monitor and identify packages within itsfield of view and provide feedback to an operator for stacking packageson a pallet; at least one processor operably coupled with the first andsecond cells, the at least one processor configured to control movementof at least one of the first cell or the second cell.
 12. The palletmanagement system of claim 11, wherein the first cell and the secondcell are configured to move about an overhead rail system.
 13. Thepallet management system of claim 11, wherein the first cell and thesecond cell are configured to move about an overhead rail system from afirst location to a second location automatically responsive to thepallet management system determining pallet stack being completed at thefirst location in anticipation of a pallet stack being initiated at thesecond location.
 14. The pallet management system of claim 13, whereineach of the first cell and the second cell include sub-components thatare independently controllable and configurable to move to bereconfigured in a different cell on the fly.
 15. The pallet managementsystem of claim 11, wherein each of the first cell and the second cellare configured to communicate with each other via inter-cellcommunication.
 16. The pallet management system of claim 15, wherein theintra-cell communication includes resolving conflicts between the firstcell and the second cell to determine which cell is the primary cellresponsible for imaging and illumination.
 17. The pallet managementsystem of claim 16, wherein the pallet management system is configuredto determine which cell is the primary cell responsible for imaging andillumination based on at least one of proximity, information from a codescan, contents of the detected package, direction of travel of thepackage, or any combination thereof.
 18. The pallet management system ofclaim 16, wherein the cell that is not determined to be the primary cellis configured to ignore the corresponding package while in its field ofview.
 19. The pallet management system of claim 11, whereinsub-components of each of the first cell and the second cell areconfigured to communicate with each other within their respective cellvia intra-cell communication to resolve conflicts therein.
 20. Thepallet management system of claim 11, wherein at least one of the firstcell or the second cell is configured to provide guidance and feedbackto the operator for stacking packages on the pallet based on a virtualpallet stack being generated.